A GOLD 'RUYI' HAIR ORNAMENT QING DYNASTY, 18TH / 19TH CENTURY

finely executed in gold filigree, the ruyi-shaped head decorated in delicate filigree with thin twisted wires inset to the centre with a pearl, elegantly adorned with six delicate twisted gold wires radiating from the head, fixed to the top with a foliate scroll inset with a seed pearl and a wan symbol, flanked by four archaistic scrolling dragons 

Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Smithsonian Institute, Washington, D.C., 1954-55, cat.no. 65.
Chinese Gold, Silver and Porcelain: The Kempe Collection, Asia House Gallery, New York, 1971, cat.no.27, an exhibition touring the United States and equally shown at
Seattle Art Museum, Seattle, Washington;
M.H. de Young Memorial Museum, San Francisco, California;
The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas;
Dallas Museum of Fine Arts, Dallas, Texas;
The Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, Columbus, Ohio;
Des Moines Art Center, Des Moines, Iowa;
The Denver Art Museum, Denver, Colorado;
Utah Museum of Fine Arts, Salt Lake City, Utah;
Krannert Art Museum, Champaign, Illinois.

Bo Gyllensvard, Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1953, cat.no. 65.
A Botanical Excursion in the Kempe Collection, Stockholm, 1965, pl. 24a.
Chinese Gold and Silver in the Carl Kempe Collection, Museum of Far Eastern Antiquities, Ulricehamn, 1999, pl. 58.

The shaft of the pin has a 1.5 cm stress crack that has been filled-in with glue and is now stabilized. The overall condition is very good.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The present ornament, decorated with auspicious symbols, was worn by court ladies as decoration for their hair.  There were strict rules governing the use of jewellery and ornaments during the Qing dynasty and court ladies were restricted on the use of decorative items such as hair-slides, hairpins, liusu hair ornaments and other jewellery. For more information on the use of gold ornaments during the Qing dynasty see Yang Boda, 'Ancient Chinese Cultures of Gold Jewellery and Ornamentation', Arts of Asia, vol. 38, no. 2, March-April 2008, pp. 88-113.   

See a similar hair ornament with twisted gold wires radiating from the centre, decorated with two wan symbols and archaistic scrolling designs, illustrated in Celestial Creations: Art of the Chinese Goldsmith, The Cheng Xun Tang Collection, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2007, pl.H03.  Compare also another hair ornament similarly decorated with two ruyi heads in delicate filigree work, illustrated in Gems of Beijing Cultural Relics, Gold and Silverwares, Beijing, 2004, pl. 296. 

The scrolling dragons and foliate scroll on the present ornament may have once been covered with kingfisher feathers.  See a related gold hair ornament in op.cit., p.111.